Puzzle



AUiiuTED sTATEs PATENT ornicn- OLIVER JEROMINO SHEPHERD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PUZZLE.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, OLIVER J. SHEPHERD, a citizen of the United States, and residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Puzzles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to puzzles, and the same has for its principal object the provision of a novel puzzle, designed to require for its solution the exercise of patience and ingenuity and at the same time to afford mathematical recreation and amusement.

In its more specific aspect, the invention embodies a composite plate provided with two pairs of parallel grooves crossing each other, and in which are slidably engaged twelve buttons, which may be arranged in seven different combinations or groups, each combination or group consisting of four buttons totaling twenty-six units.

My invention has for a further object to produce a device of the above character which is very simple as well as strong and durable in construction, which may be manufactured at small cost, and which in its practice will afford a source of mental exercise to those having a high degree of mathematical skill and ingenuity as well as to those possessing only ordinary skill.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain constructions, combinations and arrangements of the parts that I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a puzzle made in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 shows a cross-section, taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a composite plate 3, made up of three plates, viz., a top plate 4, a central plate 5, and a bottom plate 6. These plates are of the same size and thickness, and are made preferably of fibrous material, although they may be made of other suitable material.

The top plate 4 is provided with two pairs of parallel slots 7, 8 and 9, 10, crossing each other, as shown.

In these slots are engaged a plurality of buttons 11, of spool or reel-like formation, consisting, as clearly exhibited in Fig. 2, of

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented ADI'. 13, 1920.

Application filed October 27, 1919.

Serial No. 333,759.

cylindrical body portions connecting end disks or anges. The cylindrical body portions eXtend vertically through the slots, while the end lianges thereof engage over the top and bottom sides of the plate, whereby the buttons are engaged slidably and permanently with the plate. The disks or iianges on the top side of the plate are considerably larger than those on the underneath side thereof, in order to provide suitable finger-grips for readily advancing the buttons in the slots. Through the communications afforded by the intercrossing of the slots, the buttons may be readily moved from one slot to another.

The central plate 5 is provided with pairs of slots 13, 14, and 15, 16, which correspond in position to the slots in the top plate, but which are considerably larger in order to receive and accommodate the bottom disks or flanges of the buttons.

The plates 4, 5 and 6 are permanently secured together by means of rivets 17 and small pins 18.

Now, there are twelve of the movable buttons 1l, the same being numbered consecutively from 1 to 12. The number of each button is conspicuously impressed, painted or otherwise produced on the at surface of its top disk or flange. These buttons may be arranged in seven combinations, each consisting of four buttons Whose numerals total twenty-six. Thus, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, there may be arranged along the top edge 19 of the plate, the buttons 1, 4, l2 and 9, whose sum is twenty-six. Along the bottom edge 20, may be arranged the buttons 3, 2, 11 and 10, whose total is twenty-six. Around the diamond-shaped center 21, may be arranged the buttons 5, 6, 7 and 8, also totaling twenty-six. When the buttons are thus arranged, there is a combination in slot 7 totaling twenty-six, and comprising buttons 1, 6, 8 and 11, another one in slot 8, comprising buttons 4, 5, 7 and 10, another one in slot 9, comprising buttons 12, 5, 6 and 3, and still another one in slot 10, comprising buttons 9, 7, 8 and 2.

It has been found in practice that only those with high mathematical skill or possessing exceptional patience and ingenuity are able to work out the entire seven combinations. But this fact does not allay the interest of those having less mathematical skill or less ingenuity, since they are generally able to work ont any number of combinations less than seven.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. The herein described puzzle consisting of a plate provided with two pairs of parallel undercut grooves crossing each other, twelve button devices slidably engaged in said grooves and numbered consecutively fromv one to twelve7 said buttons being ca pable of being arranged in said grooves in seven combinations each comprising four buttons whose numbers total twenty-six.

2. The herein described puzzle consisting of top, central and bottom plates permanently united, the top plate being provided with two pairs of parallel slots crossing' each other, the central plate being provided with corresponding slots of a larger size, 9

twelve button devices slidable in the top plate slots and having disks entered in the corresponding slots whereby they are held against removal, said buttons being numbered consecutively from one to twelve, and being capable of arrangement in the slots in seven combinations each comprising four buttons totaling twenty-six.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

OLIVER .lEROMlNO SHEPHERDl 

